Milwaukee advances to 3-0 in NBA Cup action
Despite being without Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Milwaukee Bucks survived a late comeback attempt and defeated the Miami Heat on the road, 106-103.
Despite being without Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks had no problems scoring the basketball to get this one rolling. Fueled by the 3-point ball, Milwaukee quickly embarked on a barrage from the perimeter, forcing Miami to burn a timeout. With the snap of a finger, Damian Lillard buried his first four 3PA. His 17 first-quarter points tilted the table towards the Bucks, giving them a 31-20 lead after one.
Milwaukee maintained their double-digit lead throughout the second period as well. In fact, it ballooned. Damian Lillard continued to shine, connecting on two more threes. That brought his first-half point total to 25 points. The Bucks couldn’t miss from beyond the arc, going 61.9% from the perimeter in the first half. It provided them a hefty 65-51 lead heading into the locker room.
With about five minutes to go in the third, Miami began to finally land some punches. They embarked on a 20-6 run to slice the Bucks’ lead to single digits, tipping the momentum their way to close the quarter out. Headed into the fourth, Milwaukee’s lead had shrunk to 85-80.
Miami stepped up their defense, constantly stifling Milwaukee throughout the fourth. The Bucks were constantly unable to take a shot until five seconds or less remained on the shot clock. It came down to Milwaukee holding a 104-103 lead with the Heat having an opportunity to take the lead on the final possession. However, a Tyler Herro 3-point attempt rimmed out, sending Taurean Prince to the line with 1.2 seconds left. After he hit both attempts, a Terry Rozier 3-point attempt failed to fall, securing the 106-103 victory for the Bucks.
Stat That Stood Out
With Giannis ruled out prior to the start of this one, all eyes turned to Damian Lillard — and he delivered. He was unconscious to begin things, going a perfect 4/4 from 3-point land to get the hot shooting started for the Bucks. He continued to be the leading force for Milwaukee the rest of the way, scoring 37 points total. Additionally, he continued his strong recent stretch of facilitating the basketball, picking up 12 assists to earn the double-double. Just a very stellar effort from Dame, especially considering Antetokounmpo’s absence.
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